May 2020
Green Kids Club is excited to announce that it is sponsoring an environmental challenge for its partner non-profit organization, Love the Wild Foundation. The theme of this challenge is upcycling, and the goal is to encourage kids to look at waste differently and with a purpose for change. Registration for the new upcycling challenge can be found here beginning in early May. Participants who successfully complete the challenge will be eligible to receive a digital copy of Green Kids Club's new book, The Belize Trash Monster! Stay tuned for further details.
Giving Tuesday is coming up on May 5th. It's a global day for offering generosity that can make a huge difference in our world right now through non-profit empowerment. There are so many organizations worthy of supporting, but please consider donating to our non-profit partner organization, Love the Wild Foundation. Love the Wild Foundation works with schools, other non-governmental organizations, and like-minded entities to provide educational workshops and mindful experiences to children that teach them about appreciation for the environment, nature, and animals. The vision for Love the Wild Foundation was born out of stories of the Green Kids and their adventures helping animals and the planet.
Last month, Love the Wild Foundation donated 100 Little Moyo books to the organization, Saving the Survivors, for distribution to children living in the Kruger National Park area of South Africa, which has the largest concentration of rhinos on the planet. Little Moyo details the adventure of a baby rhinoceros who gets injured by poachers, but is ultimately saved by humans from Saving the Survivors.
Keep an eye out for our newest book, Grizzly 399, which should be releasing this month. This book depicts the life of Grand Teton National Park’s famous Grizzly Bear 399. Sylvia Medina worked on this story with Tom Mangelsen, an esteemed wildlife photographer who has chronicled the life of Grizzly Bear 399 through his photos. Grizzly Bear 399 is the most famous bear mother in the world and even has her own Facebook and Twitter accounts!
Also, don't miss The Belize Trash Monster, which is now available! It features the Green Kids, Maya, Victor and Tiago, trying to stop a Trash Monster from invading beautiful Belize.
May Observances
May is National Pet Month, National Bike Month and has these specific observations:
- May 2 - World Tuna Day
- May 3 - Int'l Wild Koala Day
- May 3-9- Be Kind to Animals Week
- May 5 - Giving Tuesday
- May 6-13 - Donkey Week
- May 9 - World Migratory Bird Day
- May 13 - Frog Jumping Day
- May 15 - Endangered Species Day
- May 15 - Bike-to-Work Day
- May 16 - National Sea Monkey Day
- May 20 - World Bee Day
- May 22 - World Biodiversity Day
- May 23 - World Turtle Day
- May 27 - World Otter Day
- May 31 - World Parrot Day
Migratory Bird Facts
In honor of World Migratory Bird Day, on May 9, let's take a closer look at some migratory birds. About 40% of all bird species migrate, usually twice a year (for a round trip). While it is a regular occurrence, the migration that some birds undertake every year is truly amazing, especially when you consider their size and the various conditions (weather, predators, natural and man-made obstacles) that they must overcome to find their way back and forth to the same locations often thousands of miles apart.
Some superstar migrators? The Arctic tern has the longest migration, at just under 50,000 round-trip miles, relocating between the Arctic and Antarctic for two summers every year. The bar-tailed godwit can fly for nearly 7,000 miles non-stop over 8 straight travel days. Bar-headed geese fly up to five and a half miles above sea level as they fly over the Himalayas. To prepare for these perilous journeys, many birds bulk up before their trip; some almost double their weight! The National Audubon Society has some fantastic resources for bird therapy during social distancing for potential birders, as well as activities for kids.
Monthly Challenge
As most of us continue to practice some form of social distancing, it can be hard to find ways to feel connected to the rest of the world. However, we can actually do quite a bit from home, thanks to the wonders of technology. This month, we came across some environmental activities that we can easily do from our home base.
- Giving Tuesday, as mentioned above, is coming up on May 5. Find a way to give back and be part of the global generosity movement.
- We just observed Earth Day, but supporting Earth should happen more than once a year. Check out earthday.org for ideas on how you can continue the effort, including Earth Challenge 2020, the world's largest citizen science effort.
- If you are staring down the rest of the school year and summer at home with kids, check out this list of 50 environmental activities kids can do at home.
Non-Profit Highlight
We could all use a little stress relief these days. Mindfulness in Daily Life in Schools seeks to enlighten teachers, students, and parents to lower stress levels, regulate emotional responses, and improve mental clarity.
Coral Reef
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Need something new to read? Try Green Kids Club eBooks.
Who knew that toilet paper would become such a hot commodity! Check out our recommendations for toilet paper from March's Monthly Challenge.
About the author
Lorielle Peterson